Dealing With Soreness After Weight Training

Anu Morgan, Author of Get Real About Weight Loss

The number one complaint from people who weight train, especially those just starting out, is muscle soreness.  While this issue can be annoying, painful, and discouraging, it is a normal part of beginning a new routine.

The level of soreness you can expect will vary a great deal from person to person.  Much of muscle soreness has to do with how fit you are to begin with.  People who are in better shape will probably find they are not terribly sore, but those who may not be in the best physical condition may find they are extremely sore.  It is important to remember that it is perfectly acceptable that you will be sore.  This is just a sign that your body is getting used to the new workout program.  It is also a sign that you are working your body fairly hard.  It usually takes a couple of weeks for your body to adapt to weight training.

Most people think that when they are sore following a workout that they need to cease all activity because it will do more harm than good to continue.  However, you might be surprised to know that you should actually keep moving.  You do not, and should not, go crazy with your workout, but you should get your muscles warm, and loosened up a bit.

Movement works to relieve soreness by burning off the lactic acid that is found in your muscles.  Lactic acid is the actual component that causes the feeling of soreness.  This component is responsible for that stiff feeling you get in the morning, or the soreness that comes after sitting for long periods of time.

You have probably found that when you get up and stretch and get moving you start to feel better.  The reason this happens is that the lactic acid was not being burned through movement when you were resting, so it builds up in your system causing discomfort.  Once you start to move it breaks down, leading to relief.

There are three types of muscle soreness that you should be aware of:  mild muscle soreness, delayed onset muscle soreness, and injury soreness.  Mild muscle soreness is the type of soreness you feel during your workout, or immediately following your workout.  This is not debilitating, it is just a little signal that your body has been working hard and could use a rest.

Delayed onset muscle soreness is the type of soreness that kind of sneaks up on you.  You may find that a day or two after you trained you are quite sore, and the soreness may last three to seven days.  This commonly occurs in those that were training, took some time off, and then went back to training as hard as they did when they left off.  This does not allow the body to adapt and sort of shocks your system.  You should always gradually increase your level of intensity, even when you are returning to your program.

Finally, injury soreness is the type of soreness you should not mess around with.  If you feel as though your level of pain seems a bit higher than usual, does not seem to be going away, or something just seems off you should consult with a physician or personal trainer.  Always give your body the fuel and time to heal that it needs.  Following a few basic principles will help you get the most out of your workout and help you to avoid getting hurt.